To see something wonderful head to Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia for their production of Rogers & Hammerstein’s The King and I. The familiar songs and well-loved characters are brought to life before audience’s eyes by a talented cast of actors both young and old who will sing and dance their way right into the hearts of everyone watching. This popular family classic has grand scenery, lavish costumes, and those old familiar tunes including: “I Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Getting to Know You,” and “Shall We Dance?” as a part of a wonderfully enchanting evening at the theatre. Telling the story of Anna, an English woman who has come to Siam as a school teacher to the royal children of the king; the show presents strong themes of love, beauty, growth, and understanding. Directed by Shawn Kettering, with musical direction provided by Ross Rawlings, The King and I will bring audiences to moments of inspired joy, heartfelt sorrow, and ultimately to their feet with thunderous applause by the end of the show.
Anna (Heather Beck) and The King (David-Bosley Reynolds). Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
With Costume Designer Florence Arnold at the helm audiences are whisked away to the kingdom of Siam in the 1860’s with dazzling robes and kimonos indicative of Oriental culture at the time. Arnold’s best work is seen in the many sparkling outfits for all of the young princesses and in the great mighty wardrobe of the king. Using vibrant colors in arrays of orange, plum, teal, and red Arnold accentuates everything with gold to show royalty among those of his majesty’s family. These luxurious costumes are accompanied by the subtle red decorations and giant golden Buddha statue, designed by David A. Hopkins. Together Arnold and Hopkins create a fantasy world in which this amazing production unfolds.
The show is extremely emotional with powerful feelings projected through the performers, allowing the audience to really experience each moment with new found discoveries, growing as the characters grow and changing as they change. When presented with the king’s lead wife, Lady Thiang (Crystal Freeman), the audience can see a deep but well hidden sadness in her face. During the intense solo “Something Wonderful” sorrow and heartache pour from her voice as a haunting melody; a gripping moment that will bring audiences to near tears. Similar vocalexpressiveness is found in the young lovers; Tiptum (Julia Lancione) and Lun Tha (Jeffrey Shankle.) Lancione’s angelic soprano voice brings great expression of her trepidation mixed with curiosity during her solo “Pleased with Me.” She and Shankle create harmonious moments together during their sweet love songs, “We Kiss in the Shadow” and “I Have Dreamed.” Together the picturesque couple exude the nubile love of youthful star-crossed lovers whose destinies are not intertwined but through their love-struck eyes they do not yet see this.
Anna (Heather Beck) and the children of 'The King and I.' Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
When mounting a show where the dialect and accents are not of the modern vernacular there are always some actors who will adapt their voices better than others, but none so well in this production as the king himself, David Bosley-Reynolds. With a kingly gait Reynolds takes on a consistent Siamese accent throughout the show; maintaining a level of accentuation and clarity that still enables the audience to understand his every word. From the moment he enters the stage his body radiates command and control; the true markings of a powerful king. Reynolds has extremely impressive facial expressions – eye-popping looks to display confusion, delight, anger, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. During his solo “A Puzzlement” Reynolds makes excellent use of the stage, running from corner to corner while he sings about his uncertainty of total knowledge and this uncertainty is clearly written upon his face as he does.
Never will audiences find a better matched stage couple than here with Reynolds as the King and Heather Marie Beck as Anna. The pair are equally talented in their singing, dancing, and dramatic line delivery throughout the show; creating dynamic moments between them during the performance. The two share many moments of heated debate and conflict – both expressing their frustration and exacerbation in different manners. During the tension that builds in the classroom scene between the King and Anna there is a bubbling volatile explosiveness that in its intensity is palpable to the audience. When the proverbial volcano erupts Reynolds facial expressions are priceless; every moment of the argument displayed through his wild eyes; and Beck matches this with her vocal expression presenting varying levels of anger, irritation, and determination as she speaks her side of the argument.
Their interactions are not, however, solely defined by their moments spent in conflict. As they grow to understand one another we see a vast change in Beck and Reynolds. During their duet “Shall We Dance” each actor bubbles to life with a jovial nature; bright smiles and beautiful harmonies dueling for the audience’s attention against their riotous dance attempt at the polka. They share a unique chemistry defined by their characters differences and make ordinary moments extraordinary throughout the show.
Prayer to Buddha with the cast of 'The King and I.' Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
Heather Beck, as Anna, presents an incredibly dynamic character who grows to understand Siamese culture and The King as the story progresses. Beck exudes warmth and kind feeling when interacting with the children and the King’s wives during the classroom setting. She is all smiles and nurturing in nature during her solo “Getting to Know You.” Her alluring voice carries sweet melodies to the audience with exuberant expressions of fond reminiscence in “Hello Young Lovers” and extreme confidence during “I Whistle a Happy Tune.” Beck is fiery and feisty when confronting the king and his mission man (Alan Hoffman) but turns a soft kind gaze and friendly words upon her son Louis (T.J. Langston). She creates the epitome of a wise princess standing in the garden in her regal pink ball gown during her reprise of “Hello Young Lovers.” But the scene stealing number is during “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” Here Beck explodes into a hysterical tantrum over her true thoughts regarding the king at that point in the show. She throws herself about the dressing room, slamming hairbrushes against the vanity and flopping around on the floor lost in her enormous petticoats. Her expressions in this number as she mocks the king lying prostrate on the ground refusing to grovel are priceless – a true moment of character growth shining through the comic event.
And the talent is widespread during the play within a play – a notable feature of most Rogers & Hammerstein productions. The audience is treated to a delightful Siamese Buddhist interpretation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as a ballet. With uniquely pleasing choreography provided by Tina DeSimone and many of the young actors donning masks to adapt the archetypal characters – this story within a story is extremely enticing for the audience. The actors become moving scenery as Tiptum (Julia Lancione) tells the tale of Eliza (Tegan Williams) and her escape from the evil King Simon (Charlie Abel.) Williams performs her escape through interpretive ballet and is a delight to watch as she thwarts the plot set up against her.
Tiptum (Julia Lancione) and Lun Tha (Jeffrey Shankle). Photo by Kirstine Christiansen.
And don’t forget to keep your eye out for the tiniest scene stealer you will ever see. While not featured in the ballet you can find Rachel Sabenorio as Princess Ying Yaowalak during other scenes with her sister princesses. Sabenorio is just five years-old but she will steal your heart with her tearful letter of goodbye to Anna and give you the giggles with her silly antics of bowing the wrong way and crawling around under the King’s feet.
Toby’s King and I is a divine production and an enchanted evening not to be missed!
Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes with one intermission.
The King and I plays through March 25, 2012, at Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia – 5900 Symphony Woods Road, in Columbia, MD. For tickets, make a reservation now as some performances are already selling out. Call the box office at (410) 730-8311, or purchase them online.
Amanda Gunther is an actress, a writer, and loves the theatre. She graduated with her BFA in acting from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and spent two years studying abroad in Sydney, Australia at the University of New South Wales. Her time spent in Sydney taught her a lot about the performing arts, from Improv Comedy to performance art drama done completely in the dark. She loves theatre of all kinds, but loves musicals the best. When she’s not working, if she’s not at the theatre, you can usually find her reading a book, working on ideas for her own books, or just relaxing and taking in the sights and sounds of her Baltimore hometown. She loves to travel, exploring new venues for performing arts and other leisurely activities. Writing for the Maryland Theatre Guide will give her a chance to pursue her passion of the theatre and will broaden her horizons in the writer’s field.
